Micell takes MiStent SES® Coronary Stent to China with New Agreement

In June of this year we covered the CE marking of MiStent SES®, a drug eluting coronary stent, developed and manufactured by Micell Technologies, Inc. Now the company is aggressively chasing the Chinese market by entering into an agreement with Hefei Life Science Technology Park Investment and Development Co., Ltd. Hefei Life Science, based in Anhui Province in Eastern China, will fund and manage clinical development programs necessary to obtain regulatory approval for MiStent SES in the Chinese markets. The agreement extends to two other companies, Sinopharm and SinoMedCare which will provide a combination of distribution, logistical, marketing and sales support.

Background

The MiStent Sirolimus Eluting Absorbable Polymer Coronary Stent System (MiStent SES®) is designed to optimize healing in patients with coronary artery disease. MiStent’s rapidly absorbable coating is intended to precisely and consistently control drug elution and limit polymer exposure duration to reduce the safety risks associated with current commercially available drug-eluting stent technologies.

The innovative MiStent SES system includes a proprietary stent coating that contains crystalline drug (sirolimus) and an absorbable polymer. The coating provides controlled and sustained release of therapeutic levels of drug as the polymer softens and disperses from the stent into the adjacent tissue. These properties are intended to enhance safety as compared to conventional permanent polymer DES.

Results of animal studies have determined that the coating is cleared from the stent in 45 to 60 days leaving a bare metal stent and the polymer is completely absorbed into the surrounding tissue within 90 days to promote long-term patency and compatibility with the artery.

Under the newly announced agreement, Micell will manufacture and supply MiStent SES for clinical and commercial use.

Company comments

“This agreement creates a strong opportunity for MiStent SES to enter the Chinese market and build upon our recent CE Mark approval in Europe,” commented Arthur J. Benvenuto, Micell’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Sinopharm and SinoMedCare bring strengths to this partnership with Hefei Life Science that we expect will make this important medical innovation in the coronary stent market readily accessible to patients in Greater China.”